Honey Ginger Cough Syrup

lemon, ginger and a glass jar of honey on a wooden table

Like many households, we are passing around various winter bugs with their share of fevers, aches, sniffles, sneezes and coughs.

The recipe for getting better in our house is lots of homemade, pasture-raised chicken broth, Netflix videos, and one or two of my favorite homemade cold soothers. This homemade honey ginger cough syrup is simple and fast to make, and delivers quick relief to dry coughs, and sore and scratchy throats.

Honey as Medicine

Honey has been used for thousands of years to soothe coughs and sore throats, and with good reason! In a study comparing honey, dextromethorphan, and no treatment, honey was found to be a superior and preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection. And another three studies found there was no significant difference between honey versus dextromethorphan or honey versus diphenhydramine for treating acute cough in children.

And with a great taste and no side effects, honey is an excellent choice for easing coughs compared to over the counter syrups with pharmaceuticals, additives, artificial dyes and flavorings.

Try These Other Remedies…

lemon, ginger and a glass jar of honey on a wooden table
4.31 from 13 votes

Honey Ginger Cough Syrup

This honey-ginger throat salve brings quick, natural soothing to sore throats and coughs.
CourseFood Medicine
CuisineHerbal Remedy
Makes1 Tablespoon
Calories65
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
This recipe may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 2-inch knob fresh ginger
  • 1 Tbsp raw honey, (Do not give honey to infants under the age of 1.)

Instructions
 

  • Peel, then finely grate ginger into a small bowl.
  • Squeeze grated ginger through a fine mesh sieve (or just use your fingers) to release about 1 teaspoon of juice. Discard pulp.
  • Mix the teaspoon of fresh ginger juice thoroughly into the tablespoon of honey.
  • Take the syrup right away, swallowing slowly and deliberately. 
  • Take 2-3 times a day, as needed to soothe sore throat and dry coughing.


Nutrition

Calories: 65kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSodium: 1mgSugar: 17g

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

20 thoughts on “Honey Ginger Cough Syrup”

4.31 from 13 votes (13 ratings without comment)

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate This Recipe!




  1. Thank you for this great tutorial. I am able to prepare my first homemade soar throat syrup using your guide. I’m really excited about this. Thanks for sharing.

  2. I love ginger and honey, so healthy, and great for sore throats too. I remember as a child I would always love honey and ginger cough sweets my mother bought

  3. Can I use raw honey for the onion garlic ginger cough syrup instead of cane sugar? Also can I add lemon, cinnamon, clove, and or pineapple?!
    Will it still last 6 months unrefrigerated?

    1. I have no idea if that would work as those changes make it a whole different recipe. Therefore I cannot guarantee it will last. Let us know how it turns out.

  4. Personally, I drink a lot of tea with ginger, lemon and honey to get rid of cough. It helps to soothe sore throat. Next time I will definitely try your cough syrup, thanks for sharing!

  5. I made the vapor salve this morning – not sure if I’ll like it only because I used cocoa butter (with a little coconut oil to help keep it a bit softer) as my base. It has such a strong scent and mixes kind of strangely with these essential oils. I think a more subtle base would be better next time….but just used what I had:)

  6. Thanks for posting the vapour rub recipe. As a little girl (some 50+ years ago) we used to each winter make our vapour rub recipe when someone was overcome by the flu. Your post has made me go down memory lane and as we’re in the middle of winter here (Aust) it certainly will be put to use. I can remember we used to use camphor (in a solid state) that we had to melt in the petroleum jelly. Many thanks once again.

  7. My understanding is that putting vapor rubs on the bottoms of your feet helps because the skin is soft and the blood vessels are close to the skin making absorption easier. Plain old athletic socks will work as they are mostly to keep the vapor rub from rubbing off on everything else. My dad even remembers having vapor rub applied to his throat and then a wool sock wrapped around and secured with a safety pin!

    1. That would make sense. It is just uncanny how well it works though, compared to putting it on your chest or back.

  8. This is a beautiful website! I love your ideas.. you should check out my website and perhaps you can guest post on it? I am now a follower too! Found you on Monday Mania. I posted the Asian Lettuce Wraps.. ~Dr. Lisa

  9. Avatar photo
    Barb @ A Life in Balance

    Thanks for sharing this! We’ve had some coughing here, but no serious illnesses. I’m going to try the 1st recipe with my ds8 to see if it will help his dry cough

  10. Avatar photo
    Homegrown & Healthy

    Found you on Frugal Days, love these ideas! Just wanted to share the love. Wish I had them last week when our entire house was sick, ugh. I’ll be keeping these for future use.

  11. In the 2nd recipe I wonder if you could substitute honey for the dehydrated cane syrup. As beekeepers, we always have honey on hand. LOL   I like that the recipes can be made in advance and kept for long periods or indefinitely. Great post, I definitely want to give these a try.

    1. The granulated sugar has a chemical infusion reaction with the other ingredients, so I’m not sure how honey would be able to do the same thing. That said, honey is great for sore throats, so you might want to give it a try and see if it works!

15585

GO GREEN TODAY WITH THIS FREE E-BOOK!
 

50 Ways to Love Your Mother contains 50 simple steps you can take today that will not only go easy on the planet, but your wallet, too.

 

Get it FREE when you sign up for the Seasonal Harvest newsletter!

50 Ways to Love Your Mother - Simple Steps for a Greener, Healthier Planet

LIKE A COOL 
(FILTERED) DRINK OF WATER

Get refreshing new ideas to save money and live greener and healthier every day.
Join Small Footprint Family on your favorite social network!